The Barn

Both The Barn and The Barn Roastery are shrines to the black bean. Owner Ralf Kueller has even made headlines for his serious approach: the original Mitte location is certainly cosy enough, but when he opened a second, more spacious roastery in Prenzlauer Berg, customers were bemused by the industrial bollard set in the doorway. Ralf was taking a rather humourless stand against the area’s ‘yummy mummy’ invasion by banning prams and also laptops in the shop. Third wave coffee is about taking absolute care at every step of the process, from direct-trade relationships with farmers, all the way to purifying the water used through reverse osmosis, and so, logic would dictate that a perfectly austere environment would detract least from appreciating the finished product. Australian baristas ‘dial in’ their own special blends roast on site in collaboration with London’s Square Mile Coffee Roasters; try the pour-over Hario V60 for an alternative cupping method – complemented by a slice of moist chocolate tart from the deli counter.